African Wildlife & Environment Issue 83

BIRDING

Food and habits The African Pitta moves about by quick hops. It forages singly on leaf litter, where it scratches to uncover insects and mollusks. It may flit the tail as it walks and run or jump to a low branch when alarmed, or fly to a high branch where it hides by crouching. It has a fast and direct flight. It has various call notes, including a querulous scolding "skeeow", noted by Moreau, a short, deep trill followed by a wing-clap, and a “sproo” note, accompanied by a small jump. A croaking call may be heard during migration, and a guttural alarm note has been recorded.

Map showing vagrant sightings over the years

(at night), which may account for their vagrancy in the north-eastern Limpopo and the Zimbabwean plateau. Some reverse migration has been noted after the breeding season. Some vagrants occasionally stray way outside their normal range (please refer to map).

Breeding They are probably monogamous, and display for a few weeks after arrival. Displaying birds utter a far carrying and explosive “quoip” as they leap from a lateral branch in mid-canopy.At the same time the wings are opened to reveal the white bases to the

Distribution map

41 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 83 (2023)